Erica is put in her place....HARD!
All scenes today will take place at the Harper mansion where everyone confronts Erica on her bitchy attitude. Scene One Background: Outside the Harper Mansion. Patricia glares at Erica, who is furious at her aunt for dragging her away from her office and her business. ERICA: May I ask what the hell do you think you're doing? PATRICIA (acidly): For once in your life, you will be facing up to your sins. All you have done of late is make life hell for everyone. ERICA: I am only thinking of the family, or is that a crime anymore? PATRICIA: I don't believe one word you say, Erica! I don't believe you for one minute! You do not care a thing about the family! Your actions lead me to think otherwise. ERICA: Please! I have several meetings to attend to today! I have a long day ahead of me at that station, and you are bringing me here for a family fight?! You are pathetic! PATRICIA (infuriated): I can't believe you said that! ERICA: And I will say it again, Pathetic! PATRICIA (not taking any more of her static): You get in there! RIGHT NOW! (Patricia strong arms Erica into the mansion, where her family all shoot glares at her) Scene Two: Michael and Wendy First up at bat against Erica is Michael and Wendy. They shoot Erica a nasty glare. MICHAEL: First of all, I have to say, I am very angry with you. Don't think I don't know what you did, because I do. ERICA: If it's about that slut... MICHAEL: I am telling you for the last time, she has a name, it is Natalya Ashton! I will not tell you that again! What Natalya was or is doesn't matter to me! Natalya had been raped! She was VULNERABLE, for crying out loud! She had nobody to help her, she was estranged from her family, and she had nobody to turn to. Maybe her methods were wrong, I will grant you that, but she needed help and nobody would help her. ERICA (protesting): But she used Rohypnol! MICHAEL: I don't GIVE a damn about that, Erica! I couldn't have cared less that she used Rohypnol or anything else! What happened, happened! She needed someone to help her with a baby. But now, she has left. I am pleased that Wendy is back in my life, no question about that, but, damn it, Natalya needed help, and what did you do? You made life for her miserable! ERICA: I was protecting you from her! She was a money-grubbing slut! That is all she ever was! WENDY (angered): Now, you stop it, Erica! Right now! Natalya Ashton was no saint, I will admit that readily. But once Michael explained to me everything about what had happened, and why she did things the way she did, I understood. It also allowed me to forgive her. Hell, the only friend she had was Jenna Roberts, back in Smythewood, and I am glad Michael was there to help her through what had to have been a very difficult time. ERICA (furious): I don't recall you having a say in ANYTHING here! This is a family matter! And you are NOT family! To me, you're not! MICHAEL: You do NOT ever speak to my fiancée in that tone of voice! Do you hear me, Erica?! I will not tolerate that kind of vicious talk from you! ERICA (protesting): She is an outsider! Shelby will always be your wife! MICHAEL (irate): Damn it, Erica! Shelby is DEAD! She is gone, she will never come back! You need to get over this irrationality! ERICA: I don't have to take this abuse! I am not called upon to take it! MICHAEL: You are going to take it! ERICA (spitefully): You make me sick! MICHAEL: You are perhaps the most vile excuse for a woman that I have ever seen. I can't even believe that you are my younger sister! ERICA (dismissively): I have to get going. I have a lot to accomplish, and I have NO time for a damned family fight! MICHAEL: No you don't. You are NOT setting foot outside of this house! ERICA: You can't tell me what to do! MICHAEL (angrily): Oh yes, I can! For one thing, I am older than you are! Much older than you are! That gives me more say than you think! And you will NOT set foot outside that door until you hear everything we have to say! (Michael and Wendy step back; Hannah descends down the stairs) Scene Three: Hannah Hannah enters the room and shoots daggers at Erica. Sheila rushes over to her. SHEILA (concerned): Hannah, are you all right? Where's Maggie? HANNAH: Maggie is fine. She's in the nursery. SHEILA: Are you sure you want to do this? HANNAH: I have to, Sheila. I want to take my power back. Besides, I don't want Maggie to hear or be witness to what I have to say to dear old "Auntie Erica"! ERICA (in phony sympathy): You're not being reasonable, Hannah. I am doing this for your benefit! HANNAH (savagely): Bull! You're not doing anything for my benefit! Far from it! This is all about you! I'm not a damned fool who just sailed in on the boat, Auntie, and you damned well know it! Quit your lying, bitch! You don't care who you hurt, just so SOMEONE is hurt! ERICA: I think that a baby should thrive under the care of her mother and father. And I really think this baby will crimp your life, and I really think that her father should have custody! HANNAH (not buying anything she has to say): I don't buy that, and you damn well know it! Nigel, yes, I know what you are trying to pull, is in JAIL! For the murder of my cousin, YOUR nephew, and you think I am going to just blindly sign my parental rights over to a convicted murderer?! Never mind the fact that he had, on YOUR orders, murdered my cousin, your OWN nephew, and for WHAT? I will tell you right now, 'Auntie', that your dirty double crossing scheme did not work! ERICA (shedding her pretenses, glaring at her niece): I told Nigel that I would take care of it if you didn't sign over full custody of Maggie to him! HANNAH (defiantly): I will sign over custody of my daughter when we're all busy ice skating in hell! ERICA (enraged): I will use what power I have to have you declared unfit! HANNAH (furiously, ominously): Of which you have NONE! And you know that fact as well as I do! Let me remind you of this! And I am only going to say this to you only ONCE! If you even TRY to declare me an unfit mother, Erica, I swear to GOD I will go to the courts and tell any judge in this city what you are trying to do to me! Not to mention, EVERY dirty trick you have pulled against this family! You will NOT succeed, and you will most definitely fail! You truly are a selfish individual! (With that, a furious Hannah slaps Erica across the face, before bursting into tears. Sheila leads her cousin to the sofa, where Velda brings in some tea to calm her down.) Scene Four: Dylan, Audra and Alex Dylan, Audra and Alex now take their turns at Erica. DYLAN: You know, I always admired you, Erica. Your capacity to work hard, despite what you have been through. You were my heroine. But now, I can't admire you anymore. What you tried to do to me and Alex was absolutely underhanded, and despicable. ERICA: If you would only let me explain... ALEX (angered): What kind of explaination IS there to be given? Nothing you could say would be even worth hearing! What you did to Chris was bad enough. But what you did to me and Dylan was beyond horrible! Dylan and I have been together a long time, is there NOTHING so despicable that you wouldn't do to achieve your ends?! ERICA (dismissively): You are an outsider! You are a total outsider! ALEX (sarcastically): Oh really?! An outsider am I?! It's quite funny how you don't ever classify Nigel as a so-called 'outsider'! ERICA (angered): He's different! Nigel is better than anyone else! Nigel has BREEDING! DYLAN (infuriated): Oh, really?! And Alex doesn't have breeding?! Alex is ten-thousand times the man than that damned Nigel! So, do NOT even try to pull that crap on me! ERICA: That has everything to do with things. Nigel is better than everyone else. AUDRA (coldly): Breeding has nothing to do with any of this, and you well know it! ERICA: Shut up! AUDRA: NO! For once in my life, I am going to stand up to you! You think you know what is best for this family, well, I have a news flash for you! You DON'T! ERICA: I said shut up! DYLAN (angered, defending Audra): No, Erica! YOU shut up! And don't you DARE speak in such a manner to my cousin ever again! She is a lot more wiser than you ever will be! You will hear the hard facts about things, and you are going to take them! And don't think I don't know what you did to me! Trying to question my being a Harper! How DARE you. You ought to know better than that! ERICA (snobbishly): You are more Whitehead than Harper! ALEX (angered): Do not EVER tell my boyfriend that he is not a Harper! He was born a Harper and you damn well know it! ERICA (taunting): Prove it! DYLAN: I cannot believe you will even GO there! You really are a sadistic vicious bitch! ERICA: I am going back to my office, and you can't stop me! AUDRA (angered): Oh, no you are not, Erica Harper! You aren't setting foot outside of this house until we've all had our say! (Dylan and Alex shoot daggers at Erica, who is unconcerned. Dylan sits down and covers his eyes. Alex sits next to him, gently comforting his spouse. Like her cousin Hannah had before her, Audra rears back and slaps Erica across the face. She then sits down next to Dylan and offers her support.) Scene Five: Anyssa Anyssa steps out of the family and glares at Erica. ANYSSA (coldly): Ever since I was adopted into this family, I have never thought I would see someone as cold hearted and cold blooded as you are. ERICA: Oh, joy! Another county heard from! ANYSSA: You are a monster! Sometimes, I can't believe that someone like you could be so vicious! ERICA (flippantly): It comes with practice! ANYSSA: Don't you DARE be flip with me, lady! You think this is a JOKE? ERICA (hostilely): You treat me with respect, I am warning you! ANYSSA (standing her ground): You are in NO position to warn me, Madame! You listen to me! In order to get respect, you GIVE respect. You've not shown ANYONE in this family ANY respect whatsoever! ERICA: Power begets respect! ANYSSA: Please! Do you think that I am that stupid?! Power only can corrupt if used wrongly! And you've become so corrupted that it's shameful! ERICA: How dare you call me corrupt! ANYSSA: You are poison, Erica. Anything you touch, you kill. Nobody is safe from your toxic attitude. I pity you! I truly do! (Anyssa looks at her aunt with a cold glare, like her cousins before her, slaps her hard, and then goes and sits next to her husband.) Scene Six: Michelle Michelle looks squarely at her younger sister, her eyes hard. MICHELLE (coldly): Let me see if you remember this, Erica, because I know I do! I remember one Christmas when we were kids. Veronica had received a beautiful Madame Alexander doll. She cherished it for most of her life. Samantha had gotten a lovely Raggedy Ann doll. My sisters cherished those dolls, and you never took one blind bit of notice to that. While Veronica was at school one day, you took her doll, that beautiful doll that Mother had bought for her, and broke it! You deliberately smashed the face, and you were possessed by a jealous rage! ERICA (in phony concern): Veronica just couldn't take care of it, not like ME, of course. Believe me, Mother was OH, SO disappointed! MICHELLE (disgusted by her sister's lying): No, Erica! Thanks to Samantha telling her, Mother soon found out that YOU had broken it! Veronica cried for days and days! ERICA: Is that all the good you can do, Michelle, rehash old crimes?! MICHELLE: No! This time you are being called to account for what you did! Your jealousy festered well into adulthood. You have always resented that Michael and I were close; you were also jealous of Jason and Aaron. Hell, even Veronica and Samantha have a bond, and they aren't even TWINS! You always tried to interfere with things we were doing. ERICA: That is neither here or there. MICHELLE: No, it's not. You are right on that one, what happened to that doll is neither here nor there. But that is not the issue here. The issue is you and your recklessness, and the trouble you are causing to this family. You have made some bad decisions! Some very bad decisions that have been detrimental to this family. Your constant hounding of Natalya and driving her out of the family; your vile attempts to take Hannah's baby away from her; your attempt to break up Dylan and Alex, which fortunately for them, was a failure; and what you did to my son, by killing him! After having that damned Nigel break him and Bill up! ERICA (smirking): Nothing personal, it's just business! MICHELLE: You are sick, Erica! Absolutely SICK! Reducing your own family to mere business conquests! ERICA (smirking): If it wins, it works! And there is nothing you can do about it, sister dear! MICHELLE: Oh, yes, there IS! And this is it! (Like her daughter and nieces before her, Michelle slaps the smug Erica hard across the face, and then goes to her twin brother, who holds her while she sobs) ' MID-BREAK ANNOUNCEMENT (Voice of Megan Ward: "Harpers Falls: A New Beginning will continue in a moment, here on ONtv.") Scene Seven Rose and Mark '''It is now Rose and Mark's turn to take on Erica. The family worries about Rose, given that she is dealing with her pregnancy. ROSE (softly but angrily): Winthrop Harper discovered the falls here; our family nurtured this town, and you were the Harper that sold us out of this town. Does that sound familiar to you, Erica? ERICA: What are you blathering about? ROSE (viciously): I did some research on you. You KNEW that I would, as that is my forte. I found out that NONE of the Harpers wanted Harpers Falls to be annexed into Brockton, except YOU! ERICA (lying): That is a lie. The vote was unanimous. ROSE (thrusting some papers at her): Oh, is that so? Well then, Auntie, read the highlighted passages! ERICA (in fake concern): Oh, such histrionics! You should take care of yourself, Rose. Don't want to cause any undue stress! (Rose is silently burning with fury, her father comes up to her, he is very worried.) MICHAEL (softly): Rose, you can't let yourself get upset. Don't you worry about this, ok? I will look at them, honey. (He examines the papers, a look of fury crosses his face) ERICA (dismissively): All this fuss! This is boring me! ROSE (concerned): Daddy? What do you think? MICHAEL (softly, worried about his daughter): Honey, you just go and relax. I will take over on this one, ok? You shouldn't be stressed, pumpkin. Velda, see that Rose goes to her room. VELDA (glaring at Erica): I will, sir. (to Rose in a kind voice) Come on, my darling. I will get you to your room. Mark will be up later. Meantime, I will bring you some tea. MICHAEL: Don't worry, sweetheart, you did what you needed to, and I am not mad at you. (Velda gently leads Rose up to her room) MARK (angrily): Care to explain this? ERICA: Am I talking to you?! You are merely another outsider! MICHAEL (furious): Will you stop it with this "outsider" kick, Erica?! Mark is Rose's husband and he certainly DOES have a right to say what he has to. (Michael passes the papers to Mark, who becomes infuriated) MARK (spitting in rage): I cannot believe it! You TRIED to sell this town out to the highest BIDDER?! (The silence is deadly. Michelle breaks it) MICHELLE: What do you mean, Mark? Who did she try to sell the town to?! MARK (in a cold voice): The Koch brothers! She had entered into a deal to sell this town and all in it to the Koch Brothers! (Everyone is floored!) HANNAH: Oh, dear God! SHEILA: You are terrible, you evil bitch! DYLAN: And the Kochs! Why in the world would you align yourself with those crooks?! You KNOW we Harpers want nothing to do with the Kochs! ERICA: I do not have to answer that! WENDY: Well, you had better answer that! ERICA: I WON'T! MICHAEL: And on a more personal note, you tried to have Rose sell her unborn child on the black market?! (If the last announcement had galled the company before, they are totally aghast at this new one. Everyone glares at Erica) MARK: My own child?! You tried to have Rose sell her child on the black market?! SHEILA: You are despicable! ERICA (defensively): Maybe I am! But I am SO tired of all these hangers-on in this family! MARK (spitefully): Well, get used to it, lady! We're here to stay! MICHAEL (venomously): You have gone too far this time, Erica! I am going to give these to Aunt Patricia, and we'll see what SHE has to say! (Erica looks ill as Michael gives the papers to Patricia) Scene Eight: Sheila and Allen It is now Sheila and Allen's chance to confront Erica. SHEILA: If these papers show that you really DID try to sell out this town to the Koch Brothers, then I wouldn't want to be around when everyone else in this town catches you! ERICA: What the hell do you think I did that was so wrong?! The Kochs are people who could help this town! SHEILA (angrily): Help?! You think they will help this town? Are you idiotic?! You think only of yourself! Have you NOT even heard a thing we've been saying all day?! ALLEN: Your actions are harming this family, and all in it. ERICA (disgusted): I am so SICK of these outsiders piping up their opinions! This is HARPER family business! SHEILA: Damn you, bitch! Allen is MY husband! And I will thank you to respect him! ERICA (screaming): When will you all respect ME? SHEILA: What respect?! You've never shown an ounce of respect to anyone else. Why should WE respect you, because you demand it?! ERICA: I am your elder! SHEILA (amused): Oh my GOD! I feel like I am in kindergarten again! My god, being lectured on respect by someone who has NO respect whatsoever! (Everyone laughs) ERICA: Damn it, you! I am going to... SHEILA (angrily, all trace of amusement gone): You even dare to lay ONE hand on me, Erica, and I will have you locked up! ERICA: I am not going to take this....this....abuse! All I did is think of this family! SHEILA (coldly): Wrong! All you care about is yourself! If you cared about this family, like you so nobly claim you do, then you would not have had my brother killed! ERICA (smirking): As I said to your mother, it is nothing personal, it's just business! SHEILA (sputtering in rage): You.......you......you BITCH! Take THIS! (Enraged, Sheila, like her mother, sister and cousins before her, slaps Erica hard in the face. She and Allen storm over to the table where the rest are looking at the papers that Rose had given her father.) Scene Nine Interim. By now, everyone has had their say. Erica is isolated from the family. The rest of the family are looking over the papers that Rose had given them. Sheila and Allen are comforting Dylan as well as Alex. Some angry glares are shot at Erica, while Patricia looks at her niece with sheer contempt. Velda comes in from her office. She had seen to Rose and gave her some tea. After having been reassured that she was taking a nap and getting some rest (as she was really exhausted), she comes and throws two envelopes at Erica. VELDA (crossly): Read these! ERICA: Don't you give me orders, lady! You are nothing more to me than a mere servant! VELDA (disgusted with Erica's airs): A mere servant am I? That is where you are wrong. QUITE wrong! I am as much a part of this family as you are, madam, and I am not going to stand for your snide remarks and your insolent manner. Now, I am ordering you! Read those letters. ERICA: Who are they from? VELDA (coldly): Your kids! Mark and Joanna! And I would advise you look at the letters and think about what they are saying! (Velda storms off, but not before she gives her niece a hug) ANYSSA: Are you all right, Aunt Vel? VELDA: I am fine, my darling. I just do not want to be in the same room as Erica, right now. MICHAEL: I don't blame you there, Velda. You go and take a load off your feet. Take the rest of the day off. Pamper yourself. You may go and take a nice long soak in the Jacuzzi. I'll have Mitchell bring you some towels and things. Mrs. Ridgeway will help you get dressed. VELDA: Thank you, sir. I appreciate that. ERICA (Aghast): MICHAEL! Are you out of your mind?! She is a mere secretary! She is a SERVANT! Why is she allowed to use the Jacuzzi?! That is only for FAMILY! MICHELLE: She IS family, you stupid woman! Anyssa is her blood niece, therefore she IS family to us. Now read the letters! VELDA (acidly): And YOU don't dare question my place in the family! As Michelle stated, I am Anyssa's aunt, and that makes me part of this family! And don't you EVER forget that, madam! (Velda storms off to the Jacuzzi room. Meanwhile, Erica reads the letters from her children. The letters are simple and to the point.) MARK (via letter): Erica (no way in HELL are you fit to be called Mother): I want nothing more to do with you. After finding out what you did to the family by what you did to Chris and what you tried to do to Dylan and Alex, I don't think you are entitled to be a part of this family! You are not a mother to me you are a stranger. Do not contact me, I will not pick up the phone, answer your mail, or even open the door to you! You are not my mother, you are a vicious stranger. Mark. (Erica dismissively crumples the letter and casually throws it. She looks at Joanna's letter) JOANNA (via letter): Your despicable actions of the past few months have made you more of a liability than an asset here! I want NOTHING more to do with you. Aunt Michelle is more of a mother to me than you are! I hate you! Because of your lies and deceit and treachery, you have put this family in a bind. One that can be fixed, and with some help, can good will be restored. You are a vile wicked woman, and if it is true that you nearly sold the Harpers out for a high bid, then you are more despicable than I ever thought! Don't EVER contact me! Like I am sure Mark will say, Don't even try to contact me, because I will NOT answer! Joanna (Erica, as she had before, crumpled the letter, dismissing the contents as nothing, and casually tosses it away.) Scene Ten: Aunt Patricia As the head of the family, Aunt Patricia gets the final shots in at Erica. PATRICIA: You have clearly seen all your disastrous plans go up in smoke. Your recklessness has never been more evident than now. ERICA (snobbishly): Do you think I am afraid of you?! PATRICIA: You are a disgusting piece of vermin, Erica! It's no wonder that NONE of your children want to see you. They don't want to be around you, and I, for one, don't blame them! ERICA (yelling): I am going to have my say now! And you will NOT shut me up! I can't believe that you lot did this to me! I am protecting this family, and you people don't get it! PATRICIA (furiously): If you are protecting this family, then why in the hell did you go to the Brockton City Council and tried to sell the Harper Estate for half a billion dollars to the Koch Brothers?! (The silence is deadly. Everyone looks at Erica with contempt) DYLAN (infuriated): You tried to make us ALL homeless?! MICHELLE: You tried to sell our land to the Kochs! ANYSSA: For what?! MICHAEL (looking at the papers): A landfill! Those odious Kochs wanted to tear down the mansion, not to mention the academy, to turn the land into a landfill! It would have been a boon for Erica. She would have received a real hefty kickback from them! AUDRA (disgusted): A landfill! Of all the nerve! MICHELLE: You are beneath contempt! ERICA (smugly): What can I say? It's business! SHEILA: You BITCH! ANYSSA: You make me SICK! (Erica smiles smugly. Until Patricia comes up to her, and without blinking, SLAPS her hard!) Scene Eleven: The Denouement Patricia shoots her niece a vicious look PATRICIA: This is what you are going to do. You have ONE hour. And ONLY one hour! You will go and get whatever possessions of yours that you have in this mansion and get them and yourself as well OUT of this house. You ever show your face on this property again, and you will be arrested for criminal trespass! ERICA (horrified): You can't mean this! You really don't mean this! You are BANISHING me from my home?! PATRICIA: Yes we are! You are indeed being banished! And how dare you claim this as your home?! You tried to sell this home, this home you say you cherish, and tried to turn it into a landfill, at the whim of your true masters, the Koch Brothers! You don't care what you do to hurt someone, so long as it profits you! Your mindset is that everything is about you and to hell with the rest of the family. You are disgusting! You care nothing about this family. All you care about is you! And your selfishness nearly cost us this estate, and this land, and everything else that this family stands for in this town! YOU did this, not us! ERICA (horrified): I don't believe this. You are ALL in agreement on this?! SHEILA: Ironic, isn't it? You tried to throw us off our land, by selling it, not to mention selling out, to the Koch Brothers, two of the most DESPICABLE people in this country, and yet, it is you who ends up getting thrown off the grounds. DYLAN (loading the sarcasm): And yes, "Auntie", it's unanimous. MICHELLE: Nothing personal, sis. It's just business. ALEX: By your own words you are destroyed! (Everyone walks out of the room in sheer disgust with Erica and her conniving. Alex puts his arm around Dylan who starts to sob. Sheila and Allen walk along side them, offering their comfort.) PATRICIA (angrily): One HOUR! And none of us want to see your face in the meantime! (Patricia storms off) ERICA (screaming to an empty room): You think you got me! You think you put a stop to me! Well you're wrong! I am NOT sorry for what I did! I am NOT ashamed of anything that I did! In fact I'd do it again! And the same way too! I am not sorry for what I did! I WILL NEVER BE SORRY FOR WHAT I DID! (Erica grabs her bags, and storms out of the house! The scene fades) Category:Episodes Category:Hall of Fame Episodes Category:Episodes featuring Dylan and Sheila Category:Episodes featuring Anyssa and Susannah Category:Catfight episodes